gravity
by qaby
Summary: NJ. Something always brings me back to you, it never takes too long.


**A/N: Story name from the amazing song by Sara Bareilles...Oh Lord...I need these two to happen so bad...but this isn't romantic NJ, it's more like friendship, but still. :]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl.**

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"I really _really_ hate Agnes."

She tripped clumsily over her own feet, and his arm tightened protectively around her waist, but then he sighed and bent down, keeping one of his hands on her back and placing the other one on the crook of her knees, picking her up bridal style. If she were functioning properly, she would've objected, but she was lightheaded and dizzy, and Nate was warm and she honestly didn't _want_ to say anything. He grunted once he climbed two flights of stairs.

"What were you_ thinking _Jenny? When she shows up, she always tries to hurt you. What made you think this time would be any different?"

She winced at the sheer line of authority in his voice that was directed at her despite it coming out winded and short of breath, and tried desperately to come up with a coherent response through the haze in her brain. She looked up at him and his cobalt eyes were boring into her own, expecting an answer.

"It's been several months. I just thought that..." she trailed off, trying to come up with a reasonable answer as to why she got sucked into Agnes' scheme yet again, but realized that there was none, and gave a sigh. "Scratch that, I wasn't thinking."

"I know." She looked up, expecting to find his jaw tense with disappointment, but instead saw his eyebrows knitted together in disbelief. "I just can't believe she would do something like that."

"No need to dwell," she teased, trying to lighten the mood, but when it became obvious that he wasn't amused, she gave up. "You were there to save me, like you always do." At that, he smiled down at her, setting her down and placing a steady hand on her shoulder to keep her upright once they were outside the Humphrey loft, and then proceeded to get the spare key under the plant by the door, opening it and leading Jenny into the loft, and she thanked the heavens that Dan was in Vermont with Vanessa on vacation. She knitted her eyebrows as a sudden thought came to her mind. "Nate. Why _did_ you help me?"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her, gaping. "Well, I wasn't just gonna stand by and watch Agnes drug you," he answered fervently, but once he saw the surprise in her orbs, he took a deep breath and tried a softer approach. "I care about you, Jenny."

She gave his shoes a sad smile, unwilling to look into his eyes. "You shouldn't," she whispered. It didn't go by unheard, and he cocked his head to the side, eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

"Why do you say that?"

She gave a half-hearted shrug, deciding that it was best to stick to the truth, and went to sit on the couch. "If I were you I wouldn't. I mean, did you forget that I backstabbed Vanessa at the Snowflake Ball?" He averted his eyes as the memory of Vanessa's translucent dress in front of the population of Constance Billard and St. Jude's replayed in his mind. She knew she was basically showing him that she was a crappy person who didn't deserve to have him as her savior, and even though she knew there was a possibility that he would finally understand and leave her, she couldn't find it in herself to stop. She gave a humorless chuckle. "Do you want to know why Agnes keeps wanting revenge? Because I basically destroyed any chance of her having a proper career! Not to mention that my sole mission four months ago was to steal you away from Serena, my _stepsister_. You do realize that's wrong, right?" He nodded, and she honestly couldn't take how much of a good person he was. She risked a glance at him, and she was relieved to find his expression held no anger nor pity. Just simple understanding. "You must be really good at building bridges."

At this, he gave her a small smile, going to sit next to her on the couch. "That I am. I _did_ date Blair for most of my lifespan you know," he reminded, and she rolled her eyes, but she'd always secretly admired him for being so tolerant of Blair's scheming, and managing to always come out unscathed. "And Chuck _is _also my best friend. So it would be extremely unfair if I exiled you for those things when your mistakes pale in comparison to all of the shit they've pulled." She grinned at him, though she was internally sighing at the fact that he still seemed to have her on a high pedestal, and no, her heart _didn't_ swell at the reminder that he believed that she could do better than everyone else. "Besides," he continued, "you learned your lesson."

She wasn't so sure of that, but she knew never to make the same mistake twice, no matter how much you want the prize, so she nodded. "Yeah. I did."

He smiled at that, and there was no doubt in Jenny's mind that he was happy that she was going back to her old self, before the drug-dealer of a boyfriend, before her rebellion period, back when she was his confidante, the sweetest girl in Manhattan who just wanted to make clothes, and somehow, Nate still saw her that way. It didn't matter that she wore more makeup and that she'd manipulated people and that everyone believed she no longer held her virtue. Nate was always going to see Jenny as an angel.

"Well, I'll get going, I have plans with Serena." He got up, giving her a smile, unaware of the gaping hole in her heart at the mention of his girlfriend, before heading towards the door.

"Nate." She had her arms around him in a tight hug before he got the chance to full turn around, and he chuckled at her impulsive ways, before wounding his long arms around her back. "Thank you so much for tonight, I'd probably be lying in an alley right now if it wasn't for you," she whispered, her breath tickling his ears, and he repressed the urge to shiver.

When they pulled away, he gave her one of his special Nate-grins, and she couldn't help but give a dazzling smile in return. "Don't worry about it," he assured her chivalrously. But then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Just do me one favor."

She cocked her head to the side, eyebrows knitted together at his serious expression.

"Depends..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Try to stay out of trouble." Then his eyes glimmered and he grinned. "This constant saving-your-ass deal is really wearing me out," he teased.

She laughed, relishing in the feeling of it, thanking the heavens for the millionth time that night for giving her Nate Archibald as her own personal guardian angel. "I make no promises," she joked, following him as he continued on his original journey to the door. "I'll try."

It was a lie. If she was guaranteed to be saved by Nate, Jenny would have absolutely no issue putting herself in dangerous situations every day. She knew it was irrational to still have feelings for him when it seemed that he would never reciprocate them, but she couldn't help it. She'd wanted him ever since they officially met in her freshman year. She's not sure if she'll ever stop wanting him. But she's sure learned how to deal with not having him.

"See you around Jenny. Be safe."

Looking into those deep ocean eyes, she saw warmth, and it filled her stomach with a swarm of butterflies, seeing that warmth being directed at her, and the memory of their kiss outside Max's apartment over a year ago ran through her memory.

"Bye, Nate. Likewise."

He closed the door behind him, and she thought that, if she couldn't have him as _hers_, she'd have to deal with having him as her friend only. Nowadays, she needed a lot of those.

Somehow, in the pit of her stomach, she was sure she would never just _settle_ for Nate as a friend. She would keep fighting for him. He was worth it, and he was the only thing that made her even remotely close to happy.

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**REVIEW, my lovelies!!!!!**


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